Lock washer



I June 16, 1931. x l w. DIETER I 3 5 LOCK WASHER Filed Sept. 10, 1926 WWI- ' i INVENTOR I By Attorneys,

Patented June 16, 1931- WILLIAM DIETER, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO E. BLISS COMPANY, OF

' BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE LOCK WASHER Application filed September 10, 1926. Serial No. 134,653.

This invention relates to locking means for fasteninga screw or nut 1n various ad usted positions. It is especially adapted to those In the drawings the invention is shown as applied to an adjustable member of aball bearing, this being one suitable embodiment. J

Figure 1 shows the structure in vertical .diametrical section in the plane of the line 1-1 in Fig. 2. K

Fig. 2 is a transverse section looking up ward in Fig. 1 on the plane of the line 2-2. Fig. 3 is a plan of the lock washer. Fig. 4. is a transverse section thereof on the line 4t 1 in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an inverted plan of the screw or nut to be locked. Fig. 6'is a side elevation of the latter. Fig. 7 is a plan of a key or wrench to be used for adjusting the parts. 7 i Fig. 8 is a side elevation thereof.

In Fig. 1 let a designate any suitable sup 1 port against which a bearing member .7)" is fastened suitably, as by screws 0 'c. This bearing member encloses or holds within it the socket member d of the ball bearing, the cone 6 of which is formed upon a projection f from a movable part 9, which latter is the pivoted member for the pivotal support of which the ball bearing is provided. It may be assumed that underneath the bearing shown in Fig. 1 is a similar, butrelatively inverted ball bearing.

The socket member d is held in its recess within the bearing member 6 by means of an adjustable screw or nut-h, which is shown separately in Figs. 5 and 6. This part it has a threadedengagement with a neck portion 6 of the bearing member 6, so that by its adjustment up or down it may adjust the hearing by lifting or lowering the bearing cup, or it may merely clamp the parts in lace.

, sired position.

the member h is turntd one ofits notches will justed position, the present invention provides a lock washer' j, which is shown as constructed of .a flat plate having an'outer annular portion 74 and an outer flange Z, with recesses m m, and with radial slots or incisions 0 0 whereby are formed a series of spring-tongues p p, the free ends of which are disposed normally in a plane spaced from p and parallel with the plane of the portion 7a;

The adjusting member h is formed with a series of notches g 9, any one of whlch is adapted to be entered by any one of the spring-tongues p These notches are conveniently formed in a flange r, and 'their number is'such that only pne of them can be entered at anyone timeby one of the tongues 19. As shown, there are four notches gjand tentongues p arranged in five pairs. Any other suitably differentiated numbers might be, employed, as, for example, five and six, six and seven, etc., the principle being analogous to that ofa Vernier.

The tongues 12 p are curved downwardly and tend to enter the notches q 9. To prevent them from entering prematurely or while thememberh is being'turned to adjust it, it is desirable to use a special tool for makmg this ad ustment, that is to say, a wrench or key having pro ections coinciding with the notches g g. Sucha keyis shown inplan in Fig. 7 where the key is designatedby s, and it has a suitable head or arms carrying projections ti of just the required size and depth to fill the notches g g and come at least flush with the upper 'face of the flange r, so that when this key is applied, the tongues 12 pare held pressed up out of these notches, and the adj ustable member 7L may-be turned to any de In any adjustment to which tongues '10, and a very slight or negligible turn of the part it will bring about an exact will enter the notch as shown in Fig.2. Thus, the adjusting member is held securely against any possible displacement. The key 3 issuitably shaped to reach the member h whate'z'ver may be its position,that is, how- To hold the adjusting member h in its adever inaccessible its location may be. The

coincidence with one of the tongues p, which stem shown in dotted lines in Fig. 8 is an example merely of one possible construction.

It is necessary to hold the lock washer j against turning, and this is conveniently accomplished by forming its recesses m m to coincide with the positions of the screws 0 r so that these screws hold it against rotary Age displacement. It is held up in engagement with these screws by the bearing of all but one of its tongues p against the top of the flange r.

t will be understood that at the time when the screw member h is being turned, the mounted or pivotal part 9 is removed so as not to be in the way of the use of the key 8.

The invention is subjected to some variance in construction according to the dillerent locations to which it may be required to be adapted. It is understood that the invention may be modified within the scope of the appended claims.

It will be understood that the adjustable screw or nut It is a typical example of a screw member or rotative part requiring rotative adjustment and requiring to be held in any adjusted position; and that the lock washer j with its spring tongues 79 is a typical example ot a locking part adapted to interlock rith and hold said rotative member; and that the essentialrelation of these two parts is that one of them has a plurality of radially spaced notches Q or other form of recesses, and the other has radially spaced locking projections, any one of which may enter any one of the recesses; and that the spacing of the recesses and locking projections must be according to diverse radial arrangements, so that in any given series of these co-acting elements only one projection may enter only one recess in any one of the positions of rotative adjustment in which the locking action is to occur; thus, one of the series may be of a given number (say four, for example) while the other series should be of the next higher number (say live, for example), or in either instance a multiple of the given number (say ten, for example) may be chosen. This permits of looking at a multiplicity of radial positions very slightly removed from one another so as to give practically a universal adjustment.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with a member having a threaded neck and a nut engaged thereon having a plurality of notches, a lock washer having a plane portion and a plurality of spring tongues extending from the plane portion having their free ends disposed normally in a plane different from and parallel with that of the plane portion, certain of the tongues engaging the nut to urge the plane port-ion of the washer to seat against the member, and one or" the tongues being received through one of the notches to lock the nut against rotation on the threaded neck.

2. In combination with a member having a threaded neck and a nut engaged thereon having a peripheral flange and provided with a plurality of notches, a lock washer having an outer annular portion and a plurality of spring tongues extending radially from the annular portion l lc ving their free ends disposed normally in a plane parallel with that of the annular portion, certain 01 the tongues engaging against the flange to urge the annular portion of the washer to seat against the member, and one of the tongues being received through one of the notches to lock the nut against rotation on the threaded neck.

3. in combination with a member having a threaded neck and a nut engaged thereon having a peripheral flange and provided with a plurality of notches, a lock washer having an outer annular portion and a plurality of spring tongues extending radially inwardly from the annular portion having their free ends disposed norlly in a plane spaced from and parallel w' ii that of the annular portion, certain of the tongues engaging against the flange to urge the annular portion of the washer to seat against the member, and one of the tongues being received through one of the notches to lock the nut in adjusted positions against rotation in either direction on the threaded neck.

4. The combination claimed in claim 2, in which the annular portion of the washer is provided with a recess and in which a projection extends from the face of the member against which the annular portion of the washer seats, said projection being received in said recess to secure the washer against rotation relatively to the member.

5. The combination claimed in claim 2, in which a fastening element secures the member to a support, the head of the fastening element projecting from the face of the member against which the annular portion of the washer seats, and in which the annular portion of the washer is provided with a recess receiving said head to secure the washer against rotation relatively to the member.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

WILLIAM DIETER. 

